Park Connect, October 2017

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation sent this bulletin at 10/13/2017 10:59 AM EDT

October 2017, Issue 40

Harvest Time

New York
City’s first public greenhouse recently opened at Denny Farrell Riverbank State
Park in Harlem. New York State Parks is partnering with The
Horticultural Society of New York (“The Hort”) to offer community education programming and expanded
access to fresh produce at the greenhouse.

This center of
urban gardening and nutritional educational programs center includes a classroom/demonstration
kitchen connected to a greenhouse, where plants can be cultivated year-round.
With assistance from a full-time educator from The Hort, the nutrition
education center will present year-round classes, host summer camp and public
school programs, help community members grown their own fresh vegetables, and sponsor
a youth-run farmers market. The project is
part of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s NY Parks 2020 program. Read More.

Fall Hiking: Hidden Gems

Planning
a hike this fall? Get
some tips from our State Parks staff on where to find the best undiscovered
hiking trails.Hidden Gem Hikes

Plan your fall trip in New York

The I Love New York fall foliage report is now available for
the 2017 season. With autumn being one
of the most impressive times to visit New York, the foliage report provide
suggested travel destinations, weekly event listings, and prime locations to
view the spectacular colors of fall. Check out this week's Fall Foliage Report.

Governor Cuomo recently announced $10 million has
been awarded to the City of Auburn to build a new Heritage Center that will
emphasize New York State's progressive history of promoting social and equal
rights, while encouraging tourism at Central New York’s and the Finger Lakes’
many attractions and destinations.

The Equal
Rights Heritage Center will highlight not only hometown Auburn heroes like
Harriet Tubman and William H. Seward, but all those whose vision and sacrifice
helped secure the blessings of liberty for each and every American. Plans for
the center, scheduled to open in 2018, include exhibition and community spaces,
interactive maps and videos that will highlight the role the New Yorkers have
played in the struggle for women's rights, abolition, civil rights and the more
recent efforts for LGBTQ rights. Read
more.

One President Learns
From Another

While in the United States recently, Andrzej Duda, President
of Poland, visited Washington's
Headquarters State Historic Site in Newburgh. After speaking at the United
Nations and West Point Military Academy, President Duda and his staff chose to
learn about our history...right here in New York State! This is the first time
that Poland's President has visited one of our State Historic Sites. Another
first for the first publicly owned historic site in the Nation, which opened in
1850.

President Duda toured the historic Hasbrouck House which served as Headquarters
for General Washington, and was also used by his wife Martha, several of his aides,
guards, slaves and servants. It was here that General Washington announced the
cease fire, authored some of his thoughts for the new Republic, and created the
Badge of Military Merit, forerunner of the Purple Heart. President Duda also
took in the museum and its exhibit, Unpacked & Rediscovered, containing
over 1,300 objects from the collection.

Behind the Scenery with David Page,
Chief of the New York State Park Police

How
long have you been with the agency? I had the good
fortune to start my career with State Parks at Niagara Falls in June of 1984,
when I was hired as a Park Police Officer.

What
does someone in your position do? I currently have
the privilege of serving as the Chief of Park Police, directing State Park
Police law enforcement operations across the State.

What’s
the coolest thing you’ve ever seen or done? In a
State Park? It’s a long list, but it comes down to this: simply working by
myself in any number of beautiful State Parks, protecting our places and
people, while having both the freedom and responsibility to do so.

Is
there a destination in the park/region you’d recommend to someone?Too many! But these are all good bets: the Niagara River
gorge, the Finger Lakes Trail at Letchworth, the Genesee Valley Greenway as it
passes thru Wildcat Gulley, the Ft. Niagara lakefront view of Toronto on a
summer night . . . and more.

What
inspired you to work in the park system? I didn’t
have a clue when I came to State Parks, but I had several mentors who taught me
the lesson that inspires me today; we have wonderful opportunities to serve
people and be the guardians of an amazing dual public trust combining justice
for people and natural resource protection. The many members of the State Park
Police, and other employees of the Agency, stay engaged and motivated day after
day to protect and improve State Parks unique public safety needs, while we
work together to maintain truly special places.

Governor Cuomo honored the retirement of Assemblyman Herman "Denny"
Farrell Jr. by dedicating the most-visited State Park in New York City as Denny
Farrell Riverbank State Park.
Farrell represented Harlem, Washington Heights, Hudson Heights, Sugar Hill, and
Hamilton Heights in the State Assembly for 42 years, making him the third
longest-serving member in its history.

The Governor officially renamed the
park at a ceremony attended by more than 325 dignitaries and residents. The
park's concept dates to the 1960s when the City was under federal orders to
build a sewage treatment plant after raw sewage from Manhattan was being
discharged directly into the Hudson. The City's decision to build the
plant on the Hudson River in West Harlem led to community leaders to rally
behind an innovative idea to construct a park on top of the facility. Assemblyman
Farrell worked with the Governor Mario Cuomo to fund the path-breaking park,
and was there celebrate its opening on May 27, 1993.

Farrell has since been a tireless
advocate and regular visitor to Riverbank, whose 3.1 million annual visitors
make it the fourth most-visited state park in the New York State, and most-visited
park in New York City. Read more.